Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club will be conducting a free Postal Heritage Walking Tour on April 18, 2010. This free guided tour will be open to all students, cultural hoppers, philatelists and people from all walks of life. Supported by the Intramuros Administration, Philpost and the City of Manila, this tour includes free snacks, handouts and a short lecture on stamp collecting.

Manila Central Post Office

If you want to join the tour, make sure to register on or before April 16, 2010 since they can only accommodate 25 participants. The walking tour will include the following heritage buildings and areas of Manila :

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Aduana, known as Customs House in early years, most goods and mails were declared here for customs purposes. Built from 1823-1849, an earthquake in 1863 left it structurally unfit and was later demolished in 1872. A new building rose in its place in 1876 that served as the customs office, Independencia General de Hacienda (Central Administration), Treasury and Casa Moneda ( mint ), It was however destroyed by American artillery in 1945 during World War II liberation efforts. Restoration ensued and it was used successfully by the Central Bank, National Treasury and the Commission on Election. But fire razed it in 1979 and since 1998, restoration is ongoing to house the Records Management and Archives Office or popularly known as the National Archives.

Manila City Hall

Queen Isabela II (Spain) Reign: Sept. 29, 1833 – Sept. 30, 1868, Birth/Death: Oct. 10, 1830 – Apr. 10, 1904 Puerta Isabel II Monument and Gate: Puerta Isabel Chamber was part of the riverside curtain wall that extends from Baluarte de San Gabriel to Baluarte de Santo Domingo. From 1854 to 1855, the bronze statue of Queen Isabela II was funded by donations collected from the city. It was finally erected on July 14, 1860 near Teatro Alfonso XII in Arroceros in what was then Plaza Lawton. During her downfall, a sympathizer named Bartolome Barreto hid the statue in his house, before the Ayuntamiento could reclaim it. The statue surfaced later in 1896 and was erected in front of Malate Church. It stayed there for 74 years until a strong typhoon ( Yoling, International Code : Patsy ) toppled the statue. Later in 1975, the statue was transferred to it’s present site which was timed during the visit of then Spain’s Prince Juan Carlos who is currently the King of Spain.

Liwasang Bonifacio : Popularly known as Plaza Lawton at the time the Filipino architect Juan M. de of his death on December 19, 1899 at San Mateo, Rizal. Henry W. Guzman Arellano, it was built in Lawton was 2nd in command of the U.S. Armed Forces in the 1931. He also designed the Philippines serving under General Edwell S. Otis. In the late 1960’s Manila Central Office and Jones. However, the name was changed in honor of Andres Bonifacio. The area is known for rallies and public expression of freedom.

Postal Museum and Library: Located within the Manila Central Post Office compound, the building is now under the postal intelligence division, which is also called the Money Order Building. The Museum and Library was organized and opened to the public in 1992 to showcase the country’s rich repository of stamps and postal relics. Located on the 3rd floor, old mailboxes, typewriters, awards, paintings, stamp magazines, books and catalogue can be viewed and appreciated.

February 1, 1854 – issued Asia’s 1st postage stamp. Some carries the word corros instead of correos which is a genuine error that is valued by avid stamp collectors due to it’s rarity.

Philippine American War of 1898 – Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo issued it’s own set of postage stamp for the New Republic. At the same time, the U.S. Government issued emergency stamps to all colonies under their possessions overprinting the name of the corresponding country such as the Philippines over their domestic stamps to identify the origin of usage.

May 3, 1932 – while still under U.S. Administration, our country was issued a set of 7 colorful pictorial stamps. The vignette of Pagsanjan Falls on the 18c was instead shown with the picture of Vernal Falls of Yosemite National Park in California, U.S.A.

April 14, 1934 – our country issued the World’s 1st Basketball Stamp

1943 – the Philippines was in the midst of WW II under the Japanese Occupation since 1942. These were the 1st definitive stamps issued in Nippongo. The huge set of 13 consists of local Philippine scenes such as nipa hut, a woman planting rice, a Moro Vinta and the juxtaposition of Mt. Fuji and our famed Mayon Volcano. This set is often mistaken for Japanese stamps

June 1, 1981 – Philippine Government issued a stamp with matching Souvenir Sheet without indicating the country but instead printing “ New Republic “ on it.

September 25, 1995 – stamps honoring Cesar Bengson was erroneously issued with the picture of his brother on it. When this was discovered, a total of 2,070 stamps were already sold while the rest were eventually recalled and replaced.

Melo Villareal is the Online Publisher of Outoftownblog.com. He is an Accountant by profession who left the corporate world at the age of 23 to explore his beautiful country and the rest of the world. Today, Melo works as a part-time Social Media Manager for local and international clients. His full-time work focuses on discovering interesting culture, explore different cuisines and take memorable photos from local and international destinations he's visiting.

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